South Africa's battery boom sparks waste worries

From the newsletter

South Africa installed about 1,300 MWh of lithium-ion battery capacity in 2023, equivalent to around 9,000 tonnes of battery materials. In 2025, at least 2,000 MWh of battery storage projects have been announced. Energy experts warn that battery waste volumes are set to surge, raising concerns about recycling readiness and regulatory enforcement.

• The country needs to install between 3,000 MW and 5,000 MW of renewables annually until 2030 to meet its carbon targets. As these grow, battery storage will grow in tandem to meet grid stability needs.

• Egypt and Morocco have scaled up their deployment of battery storage plants. Many other African countries are piloting similar projects. Yet, these countries lack lithium-ion battery waste handling and recycling plans.

More details

• South Africa has installed over 11,000 MW of renewable energy projects, mainly from wind and solar. It also plans to add more with several projects in the pipeline. Other countries are adopting solar both at the grid and off-grid levels through mini-grids and solar home systems. This demands even greater battery capacity. Experts predict battery demand to reach 83 GWh across the continent by 2030, largely driven by mini-grid deployment.   

• The lifespan of lithium-ion batteries is between 3-10 years or even more, depending on their usage. This is half the lifespan of solar panels, which will also add to the electronic waste problem. It is estimated that Africa currently produces about 2.9 million tonnes of e-waste annually, and its recycling is below the 20% global average. Most of its waste handling is done through open-air burning.  

• But the growing use of lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles, homes, and industries for energy storage will only push waste generation even higher. Yet, very few countries have legislation to control this. A broader look at e-waste legislation reveals that only 13 African countries currently have laws specifically dealing with e-waste.

• The majority of these countries, however, lack tangible plans or the necessary infrastructure for actual recycling. Currently, only Kenya, Rwanda, and South Africa possess e-waste dismantling and recycling facilities. However, the operational scale of these facilities is currently insufficient to manage the rapidly increasing volume of electronic waste.  

• The concept of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is gaining traction across the continent. Countries like Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, and Côte d'Ivoire are progressively adopting EPR rules for e-waste, which legally obligate manufacturers to take responsibility for the end-of-life management of their products.  

• The private sector is increasingly stepping in, particularly in the reuse of batteries. For instance, SLS Energy in Rwanda is piloting a circular reuse model for retired e-mobility batteries, repurposing them into low-cost stationary storage systems under a battery-as-a-service model. Similarly, in Kenya, Qtron Industries is involved in repurposing and recycling vehicle and motorcycle batteries, including those from electric vehicles.

Our take

• African governments have an opportunity to establish clear frameworks for lithium-ion battery waste management before they go large-scale.

• Clear policies and regulations that prevent Africa from becoming a dumping ground for used batteries and other electronics are needed. This includes enforcing stringent quality standards for any imported used batteries.

• There is also a need for the adoption of Extended Producer Responsibility regulations to bind manufacturers to bear the financial and logistical costs of recycling their products at the end of their lifecycle. Consumers should also be encouraged to reuse batteries in less energy-intensive applications like home energy storage.